Frontier Airlines to fly from Pease

PORTSMOUTH — Frontier Airlines announced Wednesday morning it will begin flying routes out of Portsmouth International Airport at Pease in December.

Frontier Airlines, which is headquartered in Denver, Colorado, will begin its service out of Pease with three non-stop routes to Orlando, Florida, on Dec. 6.

Introductory one-way rates from Portsmouth to Orlando International Airport will start as low as $59, William Evans, Frontier's senior manager of sales and travel distribution, said Wednesday during a press conference at the Portsmouth terminal.Customers are not required to buy round-trip tickets, he said.

Evans said Frontier will be flying to Orlando and back on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. That means it should be bringing in 540 passengers per week, he said.

“We have the highest load factor in the industry. It just proves people are hungry to fly,” Evans said as he stood in front of a giant green Frontier banner during Wednesday's press conference.

Evans said the airline is “hoping to grow” the number of destinations it flies to out of Portsmouth International Airport. Because Orlando is Frontier's second biggest hub next to Denver, travelers who fly to Orlando can then fly out to “more than 50 more cities,” he said.

Asked after the press conference if Frontier intends to add flights to Las Vegas or Los Angeles out of Portsmouth, Evans said, “I can't answer that. I'm hoping that will be the case.”

He pointed to Frontier's experience in Providence, Rhode Island, where the company has experienced “explosive growth."

“We fly down to Florida and we fly to Denver nonstop,” he said.

The announcement by Frontier Airlines representatives and Pease Development Authority officials that the airline will fly out of Pease brings a much sought-after second airline to the airport, which operates at the former Pease Air Force Base. Allegiant Airlines also flies out of Pease and currently flies to three Florida locations and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

Frontier decided to come into Portsmouth to take advantage of what Evans called “a huge catchment area.”

“We are in Portland, Maine, but we also found that here in New Hampshire you're getting Southern Maine, you're of course getting New Hampshire, but you're also getting northern Massachusetts,” Evans said.

Flying out of Portsmouth gives people the ability to avoid the hassle of flying out of larger airports like Logan Airport in Boston, he said. “It's so easy to come in and out of (Portsmouth), especially with low fares,” Evans said. “With an airport like this it's a match made in heaven.”

Frontier on Wednesday added both Portsmouth and Burlington, Vermont, to the cities it flies to, bringing the total to 102, Evans said.

Frontier believes the Portsmouth area has the potential for “tremendous growth.” “This airport is wonderful, it has a lot of room for expansion and great facilities and we're really pleased to be here,” Evans said.

Frontier Airlines “is growing like hotcakes,” Evans said, adding it has 200 Airbus A320 and A321 planes on order, to go with the 82 already in its fleet.

“With 200 planes on order we have to put them somewhere so we're hoping to extend even more service here to Portsmouth,” Evans said with a smile.

The airlines' slogan is “low fares done right,” Evans said, but the company is known for having a different animal emblazoned on the tail of each plane.

Airport Director Paul Brean said Wednesday the PDA was “so excited” to introduce Frontier to Portsmouth and pointed out the airline “believes travel should be for everyone.”

“The airline works hard to provide low airfares to an abundance of destinations,” Brean said.

He stressed Frontier's customer demographics are “very similar to the Seacoast,” and include active people seeking travel and leisure.

Mayor Jack Blalock, who attended the press conference, said “we know how exciting Portsmouth is and how vibrant it is.” But when people are ready for a vacation, Frontier gives them “another way to get down to Florida or wherever else we'll be able to fly to in the future.”

“Having Portsmouth International Airport at Pease is so important to our local economy, our vibrancy and supporting all of our artists and restaurants,” Blalock said.

The news that Pease landed a second major airline comes less than a month after the PDA voted to move forward with a $19 million upgrade and expansion of its airport terminal. That decision was made in no small part, PDA Executive Director David Mullen said previously, to help lure more airlines.

“It's a huge deal for us,” Mullen said of the planned expansion.

PDA board member Peggy Lamson said during the PD A's August meeting that it is important for the project to “come to fruition.” “If we want to promote the airport and have carriers come in we have to do something to make it feasible,” she said.

Board Chairman Kevin Smith agreed, saying he believes “this is the right direction to go in.”

PDA Engineering Manager Maria Stowell told the board at this week's meeting and in a memo that the expansion project is needed to maintain “an up-to-date air terminal.”

The two-story expansion includes 12,000 square feet of additional first floor area needed for passenger-check in, screening facilities and a new concourse area, Stowell said. The project will also include 12,000 square feet of lower level area for baggage handling and offices, along with a new 2,100-square-foot facility for baggage screening, Stowell said.

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